


Clan Up, Guardian

by Whatwefightfor



Series: We Must Be Brave [4]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Ace is a Solo Player, By that I mean most of his friends are NPCs, Clan talk, Gen, Names for the Ghost - "North", Names for the Player Guardian - "Ace", Post-Red War (Destiny), Tea with Devrim and Hawthorne, so he might be a little lonely, some Opinions about the factions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-14 00:56:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21007028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whatwefightfor/pseuds/Whatwefightfor
Summary: The toughest thing about this idea was the ‘get a group of friends together and form a clan’ part. Because Ace didn’t really have any friends. At least, friends that weren’t busy with other things.





	Clan Up, Guardian

He had tea with Hawthorne and Devrim, after it all.

“Didn’t expect you to take so much sugar,” Hawthorne said. She was sitting perched on a table, Louis patiently atop her shoulder. The falcon had a way of keeping so still you forgot he was there until he moved.

They had found a patio above the main plaza to stake their claim, secluded by altitude alone. A few metal tables and chairs adorned it, as well as some long-since-tended planters. It offered a nice view of the City below, pockmarked with shell craters, and the Traveler, freshly scarred and surrounded by floating runoff from its hull.

Sipping his tea, something simple with ginseng that had only just begun to cool, Ace pulled a subdued grimace. “I really can’t do bitter things.”

“That’s because you’re always over-brewing it,” chided Devrim. He was seated across from Ace, militia jacket zipped up to the neck. His salt-and-pepper hair was damp from a drizzle of rain that had let up only a few minutes ago.

North appeared over Ace’s shoulder. Ace had named his Ghost in a delirious moment, beaten raw by Ghaul and severely concussed after the fall from his command ship. He’d wanted to give his old friend something tangible before they died together, nameless in the eyes of history.

North had accepted. It fit, after all. Now, he fixed Devrim with a Ghost’s squinty glare. “We’d have more practice if you’d left some for us back in the EDZ, instead of drinking it all.”

Devrim shrugged. “Guilty. Still, knowing you wouldn’t appreciate it soothes my regret.”

“I appreciate tea,” Ace said, dropping in another sugar cube. Hawthorne snorted.

“Hey,” she said, dangling her leg off the edge of the table. “You given any thought to my offer?”

Right. The clans. Hawthorne’s grand plan to bring civilians and Guardians together. Ace liked it more than any of the factions, at least. More emphasis on unity and action, less emphasis on politics and agendas.

He’d run into a few especially nasty Guardians from New Monarchy, but all the factions left a bad taste in his mouth. The War Cult carried out seriously suspect experiments, New Monarchy clung to an outdated and dangerous system of government, and Dead Orbit wanted to abandon Earth and the Traveler.

Yes, the factions served a purpose, but maybe Hawthorne was right; it was time for a change. Getting people like her more involved in Vanguard operations was one such step. If the factions could withdraw a little bit from Guardian affairs, it might ease the tension that came forward every time there was a rally.

The toughest thing about this idea was the ‘get a group of friends together and form a clan’ part. Because Ace didn’t really _have _any friends. At least, friends that weren’t busy with other things.

“We’ve thought about it,” he said. “I just – we don’t really know anyone who…”

Hawthorne scoffed. “Come on! You can do better than that. And don’t say the Vanguard are already busy! I’m talking other Guardians, civilians, militia members you bonded with during the war. Anyone willing to pitch in!”

“Most of the work we did during the war was alone,” North pointed out. Then he turned to Ace. “What about Eris?”

Ace shook his head. “I don’t even know where she is, and she doesn’t really seem like the _clan _type.”

“It’s probably best that most of the Tower vendors stay unaffiliated.” North rotated his dimples, thinking. “Anyone from the Crucible? You seemed like you were getting along with a few Guardians, last time you jumped in.”

“Maybe.” Ace sipped his tea and looked away, back up at the Traveler.

“How about raid teams?” Hawthorne asked, leaning forward. “You guys do those in teams of six, right? So you _have _to have gotten to know _some_ people, even _you two._”

North’s cry of protest was lost in Devrim’s chuckle. “Don’t flatter them too much, Suraya.”

“Buzz off, old man,” Hawthorne said. She kept her attention on Ace. “You really can’t think of anyone you took out some baddie with, way back when?”

Maybe he could. Ace put down his teacup and kicked at the table leg. A few people came to mind, Guardians he knew didn’t have prior commitments and would be receptive to the kind of thing Hawthorne was looking for.

He remembered a few faces from the Crota raid. They’d popped up a few times since then – Kirran Lee, Antonia, and Paradox-9. They were good people, and though he didn’t know them well, he knew the Light was strong in them.

He turned to Hawthorne.

“I’ve got some people I can talk to.”


End file.
